RESULTADOS: Grupo A - CWOQ 2020

The CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship had Costa Rica, the United States, Haiti, and Panama competing against each other in group A. Said tournament took place at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

Costa Rica 6 - 1 Panama

On January 28th, the “Ticas” started things off with an impressive demonstration of soccer after beating Panama 6-1. The result was the type of start her coach, Amelia Valverde, was looking for to start their road to Tokyo with the right foot. Things began to look good for Costa Rica early into the match when Melissa Herrera scored at the 9th minute. Costa Rica dominated the game, but the big difference in the score happened in the second half when the ticas scored four more goals against Yenith Bailey in only 16 minutes. Costa Rica’s captain, Shirley Cruz, scored a true golazo (volley), and Katherine Castillo put one in for Panama.

United States 4 - 0 Haiti

The world champions debuted against a strong Haiti team, although the United States didn’t have much problem scoring early in the game. Christen Press was the one that put her name on the board at the 2nd minute, but Haiti endured USA attacks, and, against all the odds and expectations, the mighty champions couldn’t score again in the first half. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that Lynn Williams put another in, making it 2-0. The United States finished the match with 22 shots, but only 8 of those were on goal.

Besides Christen Press and Lynn Williams, Lindsey Horan also scored in the 73rd, and Carli Lloyd sealed the game in the 90th minute.

Haiti 0 - 2 Costa Rica

On January 31st Haiti proved that what they showed against the USA wasn’t something fortuitous and, although the Haitians shot more, Costa Rica was clinical and scored twice. At the end of the first half, the score was even, and the Costa Ricans were a little frustrated. Thanks to Raquel Rodríguez’s goal-scoring knack, they could score twice in the span of seven minutes (57’, 66’). On paper, Costa Rica was the better team, but Haiti proved, once again, that their team is a tough one to beat.

Panama 0 - 8 United States

In the second match for both teams, and with many changes in the starting XI, the world champions were more convincing and scored eight goals total, four in each half. Things didn’t start well for Kenneth Zseremeta’s team since they were already down on the score at the3rd minute after Lindsey Horan’s goal. The striker finished the night with a hat-trick, but the most painful loss for Panama was that of her captain and goalkeeper, Yenith Bailey. The keeper collided with Jessica McDonald and hit her face in the process. She tried to keep playing, but the pain forced her to abandon the match in the 33rd minute. The injury (broken cheekbone) will make her stay away from the field for 4-6 weeks. Bailey’s injury allowed Sasha Fábrega to make her debut in the tournament.

Panama 0 - 6 Haiti

In their last match of the group stage, the Caribbeans finished on a high note with a victory against the Canaleras, who leave this tournament with numerous questions regarding their game. Since the 5th minute, Mondesir put Haiti ahead through a penalty kick. The match was flooded with defensive errors, and the speed of the Haitians got the worst out of the Panamanians. Fábregas’ team missed many clear goal opportunities, but the scoreboard was a good reflection of what happened in the match nonetheless.

United States 6 - 0 Costa Rica

With their spot in the semifinals secured, the United States’ coach tried different lineups even in this last match. Amelia Valverde, Costa Rica’s coach, did something similar but for a different reason: She decided to rest her key players thinking about the big clash against Canada in the semifinals. In the case of the United States, it was evident the deep bench they have. The match was a monologue where the North Americans dominated the 90+ minutes. Christen Press was the MVP of the night, scoring a brace and adding some assists to her personal account.